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Monday, September 25, 2017

I've been gathering up some quotes lately and so many of them seem to have to do with readers and reading specifically, so that's the theme for this installment of Quotables!

Why it speaks to me: I love going to the library and seeing all those books, just waiting for me to read them! It makes me happy!

Why it speaks to me: I love that Kate Morton uses the word "journey" in this line. So many of us readers use our books as an escape - we can travel anywhere in the world or in time, just being swept up in the stories. I love when a book can really transport you to some place different.

Why it speaks to me: I love how this quote really focuses on readers and how we interpret books. We all notice different things in a book, or a particular line will strike a particular reader differently, maybe based on their mood or experiences. But that's the beauty of reading and how a book comes alive for each of us!

Friday, September 22, 2017

The Descendants meets Single White Female in this captivating novel about a woman who moves her family to Hawaii, only to find herself wrapped up in a dangerous friendship, from the celebrated author of We Could Be Beautiful.

When Nancy and her family arrive in Kona, Hawaii, they are desperate for a fresh start. Nancy's husband has cheated on her; they sleep in separate bedrooms and their twin sons have been acting out, setting off illegal fireworks. But Hawaii is paradise: they plant an orange tree in the yard; they share a bed once again and Nancy resolves to make a happy life for herself. She starts taking a yoga class and there she meets Ana, the charismatic teacher. Ana has short, black hair, a warm smile, and a hard-won wisdom that resonates deeply within Nancy. They are soon spending all their time together, sharing dinners, relaxing in Ana's hot tub, driving around Kona in the cute little car Ana helps Nancy buy. As Nancy grows closer and closer to Ana skipping family dinners and leaving the twins to their own devices she feels a happiness and understanding unlike anything she's ever experienced, and she knows that she will do anything Ana asks of her.

A mesmerizing story of friendship and manipulation set against the idyllic tropical world of the Big Island, The Goddesses is a stunning psychological novel by one of our most exciting young writers. - from Goodreads

When Nancy, her husband Chuck, and their two teenage boys relocate to Hawaii for Chuck's job, Nancy thinks this will be the new beginning they all need. However, Nancy soon finds herself falling into her old habits, so she tries something different - a yoga class - where she meets Ana. Nancy immediately feels a strong connection to Ana, so when she tells Nancy she has terminal pancreatic cancer, Nancy wants to do anything she can to help Ana live out her final days.

At first, Nancy helps Ana with some good deeds, like giving out sandwiches to the homeless. But as Ana becomes more upset about her cancer fight, she decides she'd rather seek vengeance, and she pulls Nancy, and even her family, into her destructive behaviors.

Nancy was a relatable character, in the way that she wanted to reinvent herself in her new home. She seemed a bit lonely, and the attention that Ana gave her was just what she was looking for. At times I thought she seemed a bit naive, or maybe she just didn't want to see what was right in front of her.

I disliked the character of Ana almost right from the start. Although her "yoga teacher" persona seemed authentic, I quickly learned that there was more to her and that she wasn't necessarily who she presented herself to be. I found her to be totally manipulative and I didn't trust her. The way she insinuated herself into Nancy's home and family so quickly was kind of scary.

The book had an easy, conversational writing style that moved quickly, but the author still managed to impart some keen insight into relationships, including about why we sometimes aren't totally honest with our loved ones and how we can so easily fall back into bad habits and patterns. I expected going into the story that there would be some sort of destructive friendship between Ana and Nancy and while there is drama, I needed more; the story kind of fizzled out near the end for me. I didn't feel like there was enough tension and the story didn't have that powerful "ah-ha" moment.

Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far's birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he's ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.

But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far's very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.

In this heart-stopping adventure, Ryan Graudin has created a fast-paced world that defies time and space. - from Goodreads

This sounds like such a fun adventure story! I'm so into time-travel books lately, and I love the reference to the Titanic!

Monday, September 18, 2017

Before I started this little book blog, I didn't really know what it meant to be a "blogger," and more specifically a book blogger. I mean, yeah, I had an idea about what bloggers do, but once I really got into it, I started realizing all the hats we wear as book bloggers and all the work that goes into it!

First and foremost, we're readers. Dedicated, obsessed, lose-all-sense-of-time readers. Whether we're reading 20 books a year or 200, we all share a love of reading and it's our desire to talk about books with others that has brought us all here!

We're also reviewers. We talk about books, things we loved within the pages and things we didn't. We look at books critically and articulate what does and doesn't work. And sometimes we just fangirl out or rant about a book we've recently read!

We're writers. Hey, these posts don't write themselves (although sometimes I wish they did). And not only blog posts - how many of you out there are working on your own original stories?

We're coders. Whether it's building a blog from scratch or expanding upon an existing template.

We're editors. We proofread everything that gets published on our blogs. We decide what's going to get posted and when; we're in charge of planning out the schedule. We make sure our blogs have a good flow and everything looks the way it's supposed to.

We're "chief content officers." We come up with all the ideas and decide what we're going to talk about. It's definitely not easy coming up with fun, unique posts all the time.

We're photographers and graphic designers. A lot of work goes into making our sites look nice, from taking those perfect pictures to designing eye-catching graphics for our posts.

We're promoters, getting the word out about our favorite books, authors, and upcoming releases. Giving and getting recommendations is a big part of book blogging, and it's because of you guys that I've found some new favorite authors!

We're active members of a huge book-blogging community. Seriously, I did not even realize how many book blogs were out there when I started, but it's so cool because everyone has their own unique perspective! I love the sense of community that everyone has, whether it's commenting on someone else's blog or participating in a reading challenge.

Some other skills we have?

Time management - For most of us, blogging is a hobby and we have to learn how to fit it into our lives already filled with families and jobs (and books!).

Social media savvy - Okay, maybe not me so much, but all of you bloggers out there on Instagram and Twitter!

What skills have you learned or honed as a result of being a book blogger? What does being a book blogger mean to you? Did anything surprise you when you first started blogging?

Friday, September 15, 2017

Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. Driving an ambulance for the Red Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets—secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she’d left behind.

Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband’s estate. Despite the evidence, Virginia does not believe Simon perished in the fire that destroyed the seaside home he built for her and their young daughter. Separated from her husband since the early days of their marriage, the headstrong Virginia plans to uncover the truth, for the sake of the daughter Simon has never met.

Simon’s brother and sister welcome her with open arms and introduce her to a dazzling new world of citrus groves, white beaches, bootleggers, and Prohibition agents. But Virginia senses a predatory presence lurking beneath the irresistible, hedonistic surface of this coastal oasis. The more she learns about Simon and his mysterious business interests, the more she fears that the dangers surrounding Simon now threaten her and their daughter’s life as well. - from Goodreads

Beatriz Williams is one of my go-to authors, so I eagerly snatched up her latest book, Cocoa Beach. Taking a briefly-mentioned character from a previous novel, Williams has crafted a story of love, lies, and betrayal.

To escape her life in New York, Virginia Fortescue heads to France to become an ambulance driver in WWI, where she meets Simon Fitzwilliam, a charming British doctor. Soon after they marry, though, Virginia discovers that Simon has lied to her about many things, and she flees back to the United States. A couple years later, she is notified that Simon has died in a house fire in Florida and has left his entire estate to her. When she goes to Florida to settle his affairs, she is confronted with a danger she never saw coming.

The story is told in a dual narrative, both from Virginia's point of view, with the first showing her meeting and marrying Simon and the second showing her time in Florida. Sometimes it was hard to believe that it was the same character in both narratives; the younger Virginia is naïve, falling head over heels for the duplicitous Simon. The older Virginia is a take-charge, no-nonsense mother.

I disliked Simon's character from the beginning. Although he may come across as charming, I found him to be smarmy in the flashback chapters. He's the type of man that acts first and apologizes later; he didn't seem sincere, and he lied to Virginia about so many things. I didn't blame her when she bolted just days after their wedding. He tried to make things right by moving to Florida and starting a business to provide for his family, but really, he ended up putting Virginia and her daughter in danger because of the highly illegal rum-running he got involved in. Although he was maybe a bit redeemed by the actions of other characters, particularly his brother Samuel, I never had a good feeling about him.

The story moved at a slow pace and some of the writing was overly poetic. Things ramped up a bit at the end, when Virginia discovers that Simon's siblings haven't been truthful with her, and there is sort of an underlying tension throughout the novel, like when you feel like someone is watching you. I've been waiting for Beatriz Williams to dazzle me again like she did with her earlier novels; however, this didn't do it for me, and I was especially disappointed with where Virginia wound up in the end.

Thursday, September 14, 2017

A couple weeks ago, we flew to Branson, Missouri, for a family vacation. While we were there, we went for a walk at Table Rock State Park.

For more information about the park, visit the Missouri State Parks website here.

I knew Tom and I would want to go for a long walk somewhere, so when I found Table Rock State Park not far from where were staying, I was excited! So, here's the view of Table Rock Lake from our timeshare:

Pretty awesome, right? The weather was sunny and warm the entire trip, EXCEPT for the day we went for the walk. Of course! We endured a bit of rain during our walk, but we're still glad we went!

We did the Table Rock Lakeshore Trail, which, just as it sounds, goes along the shore of Table Rock Lake. The trail is 2.25 miles one way, and has three entrance points: Dewey Short Visitor Center, the showboat Branson Belle parking lot, and the parking lot for the state park. We started at the park entrance, walked down to the marina at the end of the trail, and then walked to the north end of the trail, so in all our walk was 3 miles.

The trail is paved the entire length, so at least we weren't walking in mud!

At some points during the trail, it felt like we were in the woods, but often the view would open up and we would get these great looks at the lake.

We ended our walk at the Dewey Short Visitor Center, which is an Army Corps of Engineers building with some exhibits about the local wildlife and landscape, outside of the state park.

If you ever find yourself in Branson, Missouri, and have some time on your hands, I would recommend taking a ride down to Table Rock State Park and walking this easy trail along the lake!

In this beautifully written novel of historical fiction, bestselling author Susan Holloway Scott tells the story of Alexander Hamilton’s wife, Eliza—a fascinating, strong-willed heroine in her own right and a key figure in one of the most gripping periods in American history.

“Love is not easy with a man chosen by Fate for greatness . . .”

As the daughter of a respected general, Elizabeth Schuyler is accustomed to socializing with dignitaries and soldiers. But no visitor to her parents’ home has affected her so strongly as Alexander Hamilton, a charismatic, ambitious aide to George Washington. They marry quickly, and despite the tumult of the American Revolution, Eliza is confident in her brilliant husband and in her role as his helpmate. But it is in the aftermath of war, as Hamilton becomes one of the country’s most important figures, that she truly comes into her own.

In the new capital, Eliza becomes an adored member of society, respected for her fierce devotion to Hamilton as well as her grace. Behind closed doors, she astutely manages their expanding household, and assists her husband with his political writings. Yet some challenges are impossible to prepare for. Through public scandal, betrayal, personal heartbreak, and tragedy, she is tested again and again. In the end, it will be Eliza’s indomitable strength that makes her not only Hamilton’s most crucial ally in life, but his most loyal advocate after his death, determined to preserve his legacy while pursuing her own extraordinary path through the nation they helped shape together. - from Goodreads

Monday, September 11, 2017

I don't read a ton of fantasy, but it's a genre I've been getting into lately more and more. I've been adding a lot of fantasy series to my TBR, and here are just four of the many that I really want to start soon:

The Ravenspire series by C.J. Redwine, starting with The Shadow Queen. This series looks like it has dark fantasy/fairy tale retellings, starting with Snow White and moving onto Rumpelstiltskin.

Rebel of the Sands series by Alwyn Hamilton. I read an awesome review of the first book in the series over at Book Reviews by Di and I knew I had to read it, too. She describes it as "the Wild West meets the Middle East with a huge fantasy spin" - that sounds amazing! Plus, I can't get enough of that cover.

Friday, September 8, 2017

A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.

Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she'd never return.

With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying read that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present.

Beware a calm surface—you never know what lies beneath. - from Goodreads

When I read The Girl on the Train, I was mesmerized. I couldn't stop reading - the tension, the suspense - I had to know what would happen next, even if it meant being late for work or losing a couple hours of sleep. So when I heard Paula Hawkins was releasing her second novel, I was super excited.

Into The Water is about the aftermath of the death of Nel, a single mother. Nel's body is found in the same river where a girl, Katie, was found earlier in the year; Katie just happened to be best friends with Nel's daughter Lena.

At the beginning, the story is very quick-moving; I was anxious to get into the story and find out more about Nel. Although there was a feeling of suspense, it's not overwhelming and actually, I felt the story was more eerie and melancholy.

The standout in this book is the use of multiple narrators. I think there were 10 narrators and each one had their own distinct voice. Nel's daughter Lena is angry; Nel's sister Jules seemed a bit confused and unreliable, often confusing Lena for her deceased sister. Other characters include two local detectives and Katie's grief-stricken mother. I enjoyed this narration device; it showed that there are so many sides to any story. Each character had their own theory about Nel's death; Lena insists her mother committed suicide, but others believe Nel wouldn't have done that. And in this small town, everyone is connected in some way, and everyone is hiding something.

Another interesting part of the story is the local lore around a spot called the Drowning Pool. Nel was obsessed with this place and was compiling historical anecdotes about all the woman who were either killed or committed suicide there through the years. I like when a setting is a big part of a story, almost becoming its own character.

Although the book started out strong, by the end it was starting to drag a bit for me. I just wanted to know what happened to Nel, and all the misdirections and lies started to feel like overkill. But, I enjoyed the overall feel of the book and the mysteries within. Inevitably, this book will be compared to Hawkins' first monster hit, but this was a very different book and I wouldn't go into it with any preconceived notions, if you can!

Christmas 1558, and young Ned Willard returns home to Kingsbridge to find his world has changed.

The ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn by religious hatred. Europe is in turmoil as high principles clash bloodily with friendship, loyalty and love, and Ned soon finds himself on the opposite side from the girl he longs to marry, Margery Fitzgerald.

Then Elizabeth Tudor becomes queen and all of Europe turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch immediately sets up the country’s first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions and invasion plans.

Elizabeth knows that alluring, headstrong Mary Queen of Scots lies in wait in Paris. Part of a brutally ambitious French family, Mary has been proclaimed the rightful ruler of England, with her own supporters scheming to get rid of the new queen.

Over a turbulent half-century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed, as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. With Elizabeth clinging precariously to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents, it becomes clear that the real enemies – then as now – are not the rival religions.

The true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else – no matter the cost. - from Goodreads

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, so I'm excited to see where Ken Follett takes the story next!

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is books we had a hard time with, so I've decided to list some recent books that I've DNFed. Whether it was the writing style, the characters, or the plot, something about these books didn't jive with me, and I had to put them down!

Friday, September 1, 2017

For Jessica "Jesse" Malloy, growing up in the 1940s, actress Ingrid Bergman is the epitome of both glamorous actress and caring mother. Ingrid is her hero, and it helps that Jesse's father is Ingrid's publicist. However, a huge scandal erupts when Ingrid Bergman cheats on her husband and has a baby with her lover. The ripple effects of the scandal carry over into Jesse's own home, where tensions are high between her father and her staunchly Catholic mother.

Through the years, Jesse's relationship with her parents becomes strained, particularly because of some impulsive actions taken by a teenage Jesse that have far-reaching consequences and cause her to question the ideals she was brought up on. She flees Los Angeles as soon as she finishes high school, only returning almost 10 years later when she receives a mysterious invite to the Academy Awards.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the insider view of mid-century Hollywood and how the era of McCarthyism and the hunt for communists affected both the industry as a whole and, more specifically, Jesse's family. The book is very readable and Alcott has created unique, well-rounded characters (even real-life people like Ingrid Bergman) and placed them in a setting that is fully realized. From the movie sets to the Catholic school attended by Jesse, I felt immersed in the time period. 3.5 stars

Gone With The Wind is one of my favorite books, so when I heard about this story of a woman working for actress Carole Lombard, who is in a relationship with Clark Gable during the filming of the movie, I knew I had to read it.

Julie Crawford is a young woman from the Midwest who goes to Hollywood to fulfill her dreams, not of becoming an actress but of becoming a screenwriter (refreshing!). At times naïve, Julie is also practical and headstrong, except when it comes to her relationship with producer's assistant Andy. The novel follows two romances and it was interesting to see the juxtaposition between the rocky relationship of "regular people" Julie and Andy and the idyllic relationship of actors/celebrities Lombard and Gable. Lombard's character sparkles; she is happy and carefree, and I couldn't help but love her.

The behind-the-scenes movie tidbits were fascinating and well-researched. From the numerous script rewrites, to the building of the sets, to the casting of the roles, to the filming of iconic scenes, the world of Gone With The Wind really came alive (and made me want to see the movie again!). It was such an immersive look at how movies are made and how books are translated into films. If you're a fan of "Old Hollywood," I highly recommend this book! 4.5 stars